Hold-down device for shipping containers in freight cars, motor trucks, and ships



APH] 26, 1938. F. u. WAGNER ET AL HOLD-DOWN DEVICE FOR SHIPPING CONTAINERS IN FREIGHT CARS, MOTOR TRUCKS, AND SHIPS Filed May 18, 1957 qner INVENTRS Frederick Ulrlck Wa John Ccnfe BY I T@ ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 26, 1938 PATENT OFFICE yHOL y-DWN DEVICE FOR SHIPPING CON- TAINERS IN FREIGHT CARS, TRUCKS, AND' SHIPS Frederick Ulrick Wagner and John Carey,

Moron v Rahway, N. J.

Application May 18, 1937, Serial No. 143,286

Claims.

rIhis invention relates to improvements in holddown devices used in freight cars, motor trucks and ships to securely hold down carboys, crates or other types of shipping containers on the floor, 5 and against the side wall of the carriers while in transit.

' The problem of safely transporting carboys and other more or less fragile containers in freight l cars', motor trucks and in ships, is one which has caused carriers of this class of merchandise considerable trouble and loss. To take a carboy as an' example, it will be readily'appreciated that the glass bottle, which is encased in a wood conl tainer or box and which contains lanywhere from five to twenty-five gallons of fluid, according to size,'is indeed fragile and may be easily broken if subject to sudden jolts or to pressure directed against its side wall. It is imperative then that the carriers provide some means to securely anchor the carboy to thel freight car or truck or water craft, while the latter is en route. The means now in use for this purpose consists in providing wood cleats, which are cut and installed inthe carrier to embrace the car-boy, and which prevent the same from being tipped or otherwise dislodged` by suddenimpacts or other strains to which all freight is being constantly subjected on the road. While this means ofV holding carboys is 'not entirely devoid of merit, it is extremely costly in both time consumed in cutting and then applying the wood cleats and in the lossof the material itself, which is always destroyed, when the carboy has reached its destination or 3 when it must be transferred to another carrier and recleated before arriving at its nal destination; I i

:With the foregoing in mind it is the purpose of the presenty invention to overcome the dis- 40 advantages inherent in the-present type 0f hold down arrangement and to'provide a fabricated hold down means for this particular classfof merchandise while en route in freighty cars, motor trucks orvin the hold of a ship, which means is attachably mounted in the carrier tov embrace and securely hold and protect -thecarboy c1' other containerragainst movement when subjected to sudden impacts or other abnormal conditions beyond the control of the carriers, and which is adjustable to assume various dimensions so .as to accommodate a wide range of sizes in containers and further which is easily portable and may be used repeatedly -whenever hold down means of this type is required. AWe accomplish this purpose by means of a device, described in the following specification, set forth in the appended claims, and illustratively exemplified in the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a portion of a -v carrier showing a carboy being held down by means of a device constructed according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a further section of the carrier showing the carboy, and hold down device in side elevation;

Figure 3r is a plan View of one carboy and hold down device and a substantially transverse sectional view of an adjacent carboy and hold down y device; y 15 Figure 4 is a perspective view of the hold down device;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of two carboys arranged in the center of a carrier with the hold down devices attached.

Referring to the drawing, I0 denotes the floo of a carrier e. g. .a freight car, motor truck or hold of a ship, and I I designates the upright side wall thereof. In the present instance we have shown a carboy I2, which is being carried, but it will be understood that the hold down device of the present invention may be'just as applicable to vfurniture crates, and( boxes generally, as to the ordinary carboy.

The hold down device comprises upright corner pieces I3, each thereofvbeing constructed preferably of an angle iron which is split along the angle for av short distance at the lower end to permit the two sides to be turned outwardly at right angles to form feet I4. The feet I4 are *35 provided with openings I5 to receive lag-screws I6 arranged upright'in the floor Ill of the carrier. The front of each upright I3 remains intact but the side is cut away to provide a slot I1 in which the forward end of the carboy side cleat I8 im is accommodated, the lower edge of the slot I1 being adapted to closely embrace the cleat I8 to bear down on the same and prevent upward displacement of the carboy.` Y

lTheuprightsare spaced' apart the width `of :215 the carboy to'be held down so .as to bring the upright corners of the boxinto the cornersof )the uprights I 3, and to maintain the proper spaced relation of thetwo uprights I3, each is provided with a lateral arm I9, `rigidly attached s() to or forming an integral part of the front ofl the upright about midway of its height, the arms I9 being long enough to overlap over the front wall of the carboy to form a band. The inner free end of the inside'arm I9 carries a threaded 55 studY 20, which projects through a slot 2|V in .the free end of the other arm i9, and which f receives a Washer 22 and nut 23, so as to cause V"the two'arms l9to`be rigidly clamped together by tightening down on thenut. This adjustment Yin the relative positions of the two arms I9 takes y"care of Various' widths Vin containersto be held VVof, and'whichhave longitudinally disposed slots Y 1 25 in theirV free end portions. V15V The arms24jrform bands and are attachedto the sidewall ll .by

' .'rneans of extensionfp'ieces 26, each of which con'- sists of a'straight section'pla'ced against the armk 24, and provided lwith athreaded Vstud 21 Vprojecting outwardly from itsface adjacent theend Y to project through theV slot 25 and Vreceive a washergw28 and jnut 29. .The extensionrpiece V26 projects towardsfthe wall I l andY its end isturned Y Yabout at right'angles to form a foot 3D having ,an- Vopening .31, whichV receives a lag Soren/32 ar-y ranged in the Wall. [l of-Lthe carrier.Y f Y Y To hold down alcarboy or other containenac- Ycordinggto. thepresent invention,` the carboy l2Y is arranged in upright position upon the iloorv l0 i with the'back against'theV wall II of the'carrier.

Thehold down device is placed about the front Yand sides of the carboy', bringing the uprights I3 complished by simplyradjusting the arms l9j to properly separate the uprights i3 and then-tight-V eningjtheY nut. 23V to 'fix the adjustment. The

extensions 26 arci then adjustedfrearwardly until the endsi30. abut thewall VIl and the nuts 29 tightened yto x these adjustments. YWhere it isVY Y "a carboy,v which isbeing held down, the side cleats I8 comeun'der the. side arms 24 to prevent .the-H carboyfromworking 'its wayupwardly. VHaving Vcompleted the adjustment; of Vthe holddownde'- viceabout the carboyfit only` remains to fasten the feet Hand 30 to the floor'lll and walllll re-A carboyfcannot' be tipped-or dislodged; 1

When/the shipment reachesits destinatiomthe hold..downidevicemay beremovedby merely re-Y moving Ythe'lag screws and freeing ltheV feet. After f f' Y discharging lthe Y carboyforcontainer, the Ydevice may .be'l'eft in thecarrier-forfurther use or revturnedY to -the 'originaljst'atijon fromgwhich the shipment wasmade. '1 j Y Y Thus in thef adoption of the presentinv'ention, Athe costly use and subsequent Ydestructionof 'wood cleats are entirelyl 'avoidedY theV containers and particularly c'arboysare insured 'safer transporff. tatiomand further thehold down Vdevices may Y be uSedagain andv again `on the same or dinerent Y f Inrsome instances thercarboyspmay be' disposed Y* centrally oia Yfreight carior other carrier means,

in which case the side walls of theacarrier would s not-be'availablejfor anchorage of thfeet 3 0. "l'o areplaced about rthe two'carboysso! as to bring y feet 3U ofthe lother device. Bolts 3 3i are placed inthe registered openings oit-fthe two sets ofV feetY Y 30 and by means of a nut 34 the twofeet are- A drawn tightly together making the twofhold `down devices practically integral. The feet I4 resting jupon the floorof the lcarrier are anchored by V means of the lag screws i6; f

prising lateral'bands, to emloraceY the front .ofthe container, and Yarms to embrace the sides thereof,v

the ends of the arms being provided witlrfoot;l

portions to attach to the sidewall of the carrier, and uprights supporting the bands and arms and embracing the outer corners of the container and being further-'provided with foot portion tolat tach to the floor of thecarrier, f j

2. An apparatus for holding down shipping er` ends spread apart to form feet attachablefto the floor vof the carrier Vand being arranged to embrace the other` corners of the container, a

band extensible` longitudinally thereof and integral at its ends lin the Yuprights'vvhereby the. latter are adjustable relatively to each 'otherVV to accommodate therebetween diierent Ysize containers, means for fixingV the band -in1adjusted `p`osition ,j.and extensible arms projectingjfrorn' the uprights to embrace the sides of i'the container and having end portions attachableto the vsiizlejw'all of the carrier, meansY toiix 'the arms in 1 any longitudinal adjustmentthereof, Y Y

3. An apparatus for holding: down` shipping:

.containers`V in Vfreight cars. ork other carriers and: l especially carboys having lateralfside cleats, com-Y Y prising upright angle irons to-Vembra'cethe outer y corners of the carboy, VVplacedupright uponthef upwardV displacementY thereof, means connectedv to the' uprights and adjustable longitudinally to holdfthe uprights in'spaced relation, means car-Y ried by .eachV upright and extensibleatthe sides ofthe carboyrand attachably mounted 0n *thef wall of the carrier togholdthe carboy against f j sidewise displaoementg'- Y and' means :attachably connecting the lowerends Vof the. uprights andY saidy second named: nieanslto Vthewall andfiloor .respectively o-fthe carrienf if" ',4. An apparatus for holding down'shipping containers in freight'cars Vanother carriers, comi' prising upright angularly shaped'-irons adapted tot around the front ofithe container 'and to, be'attached to the iloor oi-A theV carrier, strip means' for fixing the Vspacing between thelirns,-

andfurther means adapted to .be attached'tothejY l wall of the Vcarrier andy adjustable longitudinally g Vto XLthe space between'thejuprights andjthe' saidwall of the carrier;

arms and embracing theVV containersf I FREDERICK uLRroK VYvi/'AcniEfR'.`v Y

JOHN CAREY. ,I

5. Ina'devicefor holdingdownY twofor more r shipping Vcontainers Ywhich have been placed to` fr Y get lier upon the floor*` of Vai carrier, and away from:VVV .any uprighi'nwalls,VVV the combination ofilateral arms toV embraceeach container'andtobegat Atachedat their free? ends to the rfree endsy of the lateral arms YVembracing another containen'and Y upright angularly shaped irons supporting :the`Y`AV` 

